Connarton/Connorton/Connerton

[sue]

My ancestor born in 1870s Halsetown St Ives had a 2nd middle name Connarton (various spellings. )

I established that this was a medieval place name around Gwithian, apparently a former name of Penwith hundred, and have collected loads of other references to the place name Connarton in online lease extracts etc, and river Connor, Connor Downs, farm and so on.

However, I am curious as to how/why she was given this name.

Having studied the Cock family tree, going back to Gwithian - my ancestor's GGmother was Ann Cock (at which point in my line the Cock family stops as she married William Trewhella 1767) - I find:

4 generations back in the Cocks of Gwithian is William Cock of Connerwartha or Connerton.

Is it reasonable to deduce that this family connection is why she was given this unusual middle name?

Sue

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi Sue - not really sure about the reasons for the middle name but it is quite posslbe that your theory is correct.

Something I might need to have a deeper look at when I can.

But why stop at Ann COCK who married William TREWHELLA?

If you are connected there then you and I are related as William and Ann are my 5th (I think) gt-grandparents.

CT

[trencrom]

As far as I am aware Connerton was not a former name for Penwith hundred. It was however, the name of a manor held by the Arundell family over a long period of time, and it included lands in Penwith. I would be surprised if it was adopted as a middle name in the 1870s on account of the Cock family having been resident there over a century earlier -- unless the name had been carried down in tbe family in the intervening time.
Perhaps the Cock family had some association with the manor in the 19th century? Not sure but I would not be surprised if the manor was also named after the locality in Gwithian that you describe.

Trencrom

[sue]

Thanks. I need to improve my record keeping as to where I pick up my sundry "information" from! I don't think it was Wikipedia! ;D that gave me the "former name for Penwith" quote. I googled Connarton (variations) repeatedly some months ago, & picked up a range, including as you say Trencrom, Arundell references e.g. snippets from the National Archives from the Hambley Rowe papers:
" X473/66 3 Jan. 1716

Contents:
99 yr. lease (lives of lessee's sons Ben. and Roger); rent 3/4.
(1) Rich. Arundell of Lanherne, esq., to
(2) Chas. Cock of Gwithian, yeo.
Consideration: £130.
Messuage, land and tenement in Connarton (30 acres) with moiety of land in Haleworrage, part of manor of Connarton."

This name origin interests me a lot (an impossible mission this one I think; will probably just remain my theory, with all the Cock, Hockin, Roberts and so on ancestors coming from Gwithian/Connarton manor area.) I can't see a 19th century immediate connection to Connarton manor, although my family is not far away, being in Towednack/Lelant/Halsetown by then...

Yes indeed CT , Ann Cock & William Trewhella are also my 5 x GGparents. I have taken a great interest in the Cock/Trewhella and so-on trees on this site!

[Cornish Terrier]

Sue - I think we need to discuss this some more and compare links and updated information.

CT

[sue]

I was just organising some of the pieces of information related to my direct line, including extracts of wills on Zenobia's other pages.
Looking at the transcript of the will for William Trewhella yeoman of Towednack (6GGfather?) written 16 May 1763, I noticed that the 1st named beneficary is his sister Mary Canarten.

Not come across Canarten family before; although I now see that on Cocktree, Charles Cock 1632 - 1715 (also 6GGfather?) has 2nd daughter Mary 1664-1745 married 1695 at Phillack to William Canarthen, buried 1731; and that Zenobia has also done a transcript of that William Canarthen's will.

And I now see from OPC that there is a Jasper Conarthen marrying in 1729 in Towednack.. .... and a Thomas Quick of St Ives marrying Jane Canarthen in Lelant in 1732.....

Would be grateful some time for any pointers that might suggest a link for this name Canarten, which seems to come from the Phillack & Cambourne areas, which re-appears in the Trewhella/Glasson/Quick/Thomas descendency in the Towednack/Halsetown/Lelant area in 1870s....... .

Just in case.... Thanks

Sue

[Cornish Terrier]

Sue - sorry to have been so long replying to this thread.

I have started to have a look at it to see if I can find anything to add to information I worked on many years ago.

The 1729 Towednack marriage of Jasper Conarthen had not previously been entered into my database but it is there now.

Problem is that I just do not know who he was.

Although not recorded as 'widower' it is possible that he could be the same Jasper who married Margaret TREVORROW at Lelant in 1719.

But then he could be yet another Jasper for whom I have not yet found a baptism.

What is interesting is that his first child seems to have been a son, Edward, baptised at St Ives in 1729/30.

I need to follow up a little more on these two Jasper Canarthens in particular before I can determine the possible relationships with Jane (m. Thomas Quick) and the others you have mentioned.

I do know from past experience that this is not an easy line to work with.

But I guess that makes it a 'challenge' so ........

CT

[Cornish Terrier]

Okay - let's look at a few facts about the Canarthen family.

IGI - only 49 records for birth/christening for all of the England.

1641 Protestation Returns
None found in Phillack, Lelant, St Ives or Camborne.

I have also checked Towednack, Zennor, Sennen, St Levan and St Buryan.

The one place I have found the name in 1641 is at Sancreed where there were children being baptised to John and Elizabeth Canarthen from as early as 1626.

What is also interesting is that this name does not appear in my 'Handbook of Cornish Surnames'.

So where does it come from?

And where did the bearers of that name come from?

I will work more on this family tonight I think.

CT

A short update - I need to try and locate some Hearth Tax returns for some of the Parishes of West Penwith that I do not already have.

Some of these may help link some of the Canarthens and will give me a better idea of their locations and movements.

The other thing I need to do over the coming days is to look at one further variation of the name - CaRnathen.

Seems a search for Canarthen in IGI does not produce results for the above.

Will do what I can.

[sue]

Thanks - apologies hardly due CT! Just back from a few exhilarating days in Cornwall. Will try and think on this myself for any pointers (something buried deep in my brain is nagging on this) now the good weather tap is being turned off here for a bit.

Sue

[Cornish Terrier]

(something buried deep in my brain is nagging on this)

Don't you just hate that! ;D

Glad your visit to Cornwall was enjoyable - it's hard to think of anywhere better to be exhilarated.

Not sure if I have mentioned it but I have never been able to get beyond William and Katherine Canarthen who were baptising children at Phillack from 1658/9.

No marriage found and no baptism for William as yet.

Will keep thinking on it and do a little more hunting around to see if something might turn up.

CT

[myghaelangof]

Hi Sue, CT, et al,
Not sure I can help with the Canarthens, but the Katherine Canarthen mentioned above went on to marry Arundell SHAKERLEY in Phillack 1686. I'm in the throes of moving house (you know all about that CT!), and I'm going to Turkey on Wednesday! ;D
Somewhere in my deepest archives I have some research on the Canarthens which I'll try and dig out. I can also check the Hearth Tax returns for you as CT was suggesting, if I can find the disc!
Got to go to work in a few minutes, but hopefully will have a look this evening.
Was Jasper a commonish name? I seem to remember Jasper in the Phillips as well?
Chat soon, best wishes, Mike

[myghaelangof]

I dont know if this helps at all but I have notes that William Carnarthen came to Phillack from the Illogan district around 1650. In his will he is described as a 'Miller'. At the present time please dont ask how I know . I dont have any detail on his marriage to Katharine.
Still looking for the Hearth Tax cd.
Mike

[sue]

Thanks both - and good luck Mike with the gruesome business of moving house.

Spurred on by your collective thoughts, I've found c 54 births across c 7 parishes (from a PR transcript set + OPC, in between watching the tennis), ranging from Edward Canerthen in Sancreed in 1626 son of John & Elizabeth to Margaret Carnarton in Truro in 1890 daughter of Henry & Fanny.

So I'm going to spend a while trying to match then all up to the right mums & dads & deaths etc on my spreadsheet; it has to be easier dealing with these people than the numbers of Curnows.... doesn't it?

Hearth Tax & Protestation info would be most welcome at some point.

Meanwhile I see Kathie has listed 4 William Carnarthen wills, 3 for Phillack & 1 for Gulval, with a transcription for the 1832 William will, which leaves his son John the bed in the hall and 6 sheep to put in it...... ;D

I see a small Glasson & Canarthen connection (and the mother of the person I have with Canarthen as 2nd middle name was born a Glasson): Quarter sessions in National Archives 13/7/1819 has a pair misbehaving together:
Paul Eva, Samuel Glasson, William Harvey and Charles Canarthen committed to bridewell for want of sureties in breach of peace against Hector Edward Bull, esq.: discharged


Sue

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi Mike - I obviously don't envy your task of moving house but I can at least sympathise.

I must admit that I had forgotten our little foray into the Canarthen family and have done little or nothing with them since.

But I did look at a Towednack marriage recently.

Jasper Canarthen of St Ives married Jane Ustes 8th June 1729 at Towednack

Thanks to Newlyn I now have a couple of more details to work with although they are not immediately to hand.

However it appears that this particular Jasper was most likely bp. 22nd February 1695 at Lelant son of Jasper CANATHEN and Catherine HAMPTON. (Another marriage not yet found!)

Jasper and Jane had at least one child.

It had been previously thought that this younger Jasper was the one who married Margaret TREVORROW at Lelant 8th July 1719.

However Margaret was buried at Lelant 3rd January 1730 and 'a' Jasper was buried at Lelant 5th September 1732.

From this I have deduced that the man who married Margaret TREVORROW was more likely previously married to Catherine HAMPTON.

Unfortunately no burial has yet been found for Catherine but then we are dealing with a period at Lelant for which PRs are very patchy.

I will try and look more at this family and see if anything else of help might surface.

CT

[sue]

I have tonight found this!
members.ozemail.com.au/~peterpjw/Carnarthen.html

A large piece of work dated 2001 on the Canarthen family! It came up as the 10th page on a google search - perhaps I just spelt Canarthen differently than several previous search attempts, I don't know.....

I had remembered reading something about a Canarthen Consols somewhere over in the Cambourne area, so was looking for that for a clue (also found "South Dolcoath Mine (Carnarthen Consols), Bosleake, Troon-Lanner area, Camborne - Redruth - St Day District, Cornwall, England, UK", on a very serious mining website.)
On a webpage more suited to my lesser scientific brain, I find
www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/mines/camborne/dolcoath.htm. Is it over-imaginative to read anything into "Dolcoath is Cornish for "The Old Pit" ..... the mineral rights were owned by the Bassett family of Tehidy who are recorded on a deed in1588 as leasing the ground to a family called Crane. "? Crane.......Carne...Carnarthen? It also says "Dolcoath mined six different lodes including the Caunter Lode." Caunter.... Carnarthen?

Anyway, if the hyperlink at the top of this post works, you'll see there's loads of information there on the 2001 Australian piece of reseach, including the location of Canarthen as a place. (And looks like all the people found in recent few days on the baptism etc records around Cornwall.) Still no obvious link to my family using the name, but I'm now inundated with information to play around with! ;D

Sue